Fire Emblem: Overcoming Trials -REDUX-
by Shadowchaos1010
Summary: In the city of Ylisstol Severa is an average girl who goes to work, pays her rent and pays her bills. However, her roommate is driving her up the wall, and Severa is on the brink of exploding. Can the two make up, or will her life become more chaotic than it already is?
1. Chapter 1 - Sick Day

**It's been awhile since I last touched the original version of this story. For people who read the original, I started the game again and decided to give this another try. As for people who haven't seen the original, I hope you enjoy.**

 **Chapter 1: Sick Day**

In the capital of the Halidom of Ylisse, Ylisstol, there were many apartment complexes which housed thousands of the city's residents. Among these many residents was a girl by the name of Severa. She was the daughter of some of Ylisse's finest warriors, Lon'qu and Cordelia.

Today, she trudged through her apartment, covering herself with a blanket and sniffling profusely. She sat down on the couch in the center of the living room and laid back.

"Typical…" She sneezed. "I'm sick as a dog and that dolt Inigo is out on a date." She looked over at the table in front of the couch, and eyed her phone. She reached forward and quickly dialed her best friend's phone number.

After a few rings, a voice came through the phone.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey, Morgan. I need you to come over."

" _What about Inigo?"_

"You really think-" She sniffed again. "that he'd remember that I'm sick?"

" _Yeah…?"_

"Well, he's out on one of his dates… again."

" _Again?"_ On the other side of the phone, Morgan sounded quite surprised.

"It doesn't matter. Just come over her with Owain." She hung up and dropped the smartphone onto the couch. She reached forward once again and picked up the remote before turning on the flat screen T.V in front of her. "How self-centered do you have to be to put your own sex life before your roommate's health?"

After watching T.V for a short while, Severa's stomach growled and she stood. "Dammit all…" She walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. As she scanned its contents, the doorbell rang. As she opened the door, she saw her best friend Morgan and her older brother, Owain.

The blonde girl smiled sincerely at her friend, while her brother stood behind her with a calm look on his face and his hands in his jean pockets. Severa invited them in and led them to the couch. Owain sat in the recliner nearby.

"So," Morgan shot up from the couch and clasped her hands together happily. "Are you hungry, Severa?"

"Yeah…" Her eyes trailed after Morgan as she headed for the kitchen. "Could you get me some LifeTM?" Her friend returned with the cereal soon and handed it to her. "Thanks.

"We'll stay here with you all day if we have to be!" Said Morgan.

"Don't say that." Said Inigo. He rested his elbow in the arm rested and leaned his head on his fist. "You're making it sound like Inigo's going to be gone all day."

"You might have to stay here the entire day." Said Severa with a snort. "He's out with some girl again."

Owain laughed and leaned forward, eyebrow raised and a look of intrigue on his face. "How many women has he bed that he isn't a father yet?!"

"I'd say close to fifty." She ate a spoonful of the cereal. "Might be an exaggeration, but I'm pretty damn sure that's right. He never leaves without condoms anyway."

"What?!" Morgan gasped. "How come they all don't hate him?"

Severa shrugged. "I think they're just too dumb to realize what he's up to? Dumb sluts…"

"Severa!" Morgan puffed out her cheeks disapprovingly. "Don't say stuff like that!"

"Whatever."

"He's getting to you, isn't he?" Said Morgan with a sigh. "You're a good person, Severa. I don't see how Inigo get's laid nearly every night while you're single."

"What about you two?" She asked.

Morgan's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. "W-w-what are you talking about?! Owain's my brother!"

Seeing her friend panic put a smile on her face. "Some people are into that, y'know."

"On a serious note," Began Owain. "We're in a similar situation; we're both single. Although… Morgan is quite popular. I don't know why she hasn't had any luck."

"T-that doesn't matter!" She began shuffling in her seat. "I'm just not ready to lose my virginity, okay?"

"Good reason." Owain looked at Severa, a mischievous look on his face. "But what about you, Severa? Do you have an excuse?"

She glared daggers at the young man. "I'd rather die than sleep with that pig, you hear me?"

As she said that, the door opened, and Inigo walked in with a young woman behind him. "And here we-" He froze when he saw Severa. "I thought you'd be at work."

"You dolt!" She cried over the couch. "I told you I wasn't feeling good last night!"

He nervously scratched his head and the young woman linked her arm around his. "Let's just go to my place." He nodded in agreement and the two walked out. The door locked and the three were left in silence.

"Man whore." Severa began grumbling to herself. "He pisses me off so much."

"He banked on you having gone to work just so he can get some ass. I can't blame you." Owain said.

"C'mon…" Morgan said meekly, twiddling her thumbs. "Inigo's a good guy."

"He is _not_!" Retorted Severa. "I see him like once a week!"

Owain clicked his tongue and stood. "Jeez. Want some water or something?"

"Milk."

Owain made his way to the kitchen, and Morgan began ruffling her hair in frustration, causing Severa to give her an odd look.

"That word… has _so many meanings!"_ She whined. Like before, her face was a deep red.

Severa donned a cat-like smile and leaned in closer to Morgan. "Y'know, a lot of people use the word 'milk' to describe a man's 'love juice'." Her words made Morgan writhe more. "So..., which guy did that word make you think of? Whose 'milk' do you want exactly?" She glanced towards the kitchen. "Your brother's perhaps?"

Morgan shot up from the couch, her entire face blazing and covered in sweat. "No, not at all, Severa! That's completely preposterous; why would you say something like that!" Her voice was trembling nervously.

After the short tantrum Severa, still with her mischievous face, looked towards the kitchen, and the extremely embarrassed Morgan looked over as well. Owain stared at the two of them blankly as he stood with a glass of milk in one hand and the other on the fridge's door handle.

With a sigh, he closed it. "I'm not even going to bother." He placed the glass on the table in front of Severa before returning to the recliner.

Morgan sat on the couch far away from Severa, small and meek. "Have… you seen a doctor?" She avoided eye contact with Severa.

"I just need to rest." She took a swig of the milk. "In addition to fucking bitches all day, he'd better work. We need to pay rent, and I'm out of commision for a little while."

"We'll be happy to help out if you need it." Offered. Owain.

"I'm thinking about getting a pet." Severa said with a sigh. "That way, I won't be lonely anymore."

The mention of pets made Morgan calm a bit, and she turned back to Severa. "What kind of animal?"

"A cat most likely."

"There's a lot of responsibility in a pet, Severa." Owain said smugly. "Worried about that at all?"

"Nope." She finished the glass of milk. "I'll be fine." A happy smile appeared on her face. "It's nice to know that the two of you care for me, unlike him."

Morgan put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll change one day. Until then, you can rely on us."

"Thanks." A sad look crossed her face. "But I wonder… can he really change?"

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this reboot.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Work

**Chapter 2: Work**

It was very early in the morning. More so night than morning; it was three in the morning. Inigo slowly and carefully opened the door, taking a look around before he entered the apartment.

"Good, I'm in clear." He whispered to himself. He closed the door and began creeping towards his room. As he made his way a lamp turned on, and he stopped in his tracks.

He nervously looked over to see Severa sitting in the recliner. She was wearing a pink nightgown, and looked at him disapprovingly. "Hello, Inigo."

"Hey, Severa…" He waved at her.

"You do know that it's three in the morning, right Inigo?"

He looked at his watch. "Oh, wow!" He rubbed the back of his neck. "It is three, huh?" He feigned ignorance, but Severa could easily tell that he was lying.

She scoffed. "You have issues. There's more to life than going on dates with complete strangers!"

"It's not like you own me, Severa." He replied. "I can do what I want, when I want."

"I paid a visit to your workplace." She got up and strolled over to him. "They told me that you were only in once this week! We need money to pay rent, buy food, and get everything else we need to live! And with the way you're acting, we're getting closer and closer to losing it."

He turned away from her. "I fail to see how."

She clenched her fists. "If I lived on my own, I'd be perfectly fine. But my pay alone can't support both of us, you hear me?! You have to pitch in!"

He began walking to his room again. "You have work in the morning, right? It'd be best to get some sleep."

She grabbed his arm. "I'm not done with you!"

"Get off of me!" He tried to tear his arm from her grip.

"You can go out and screw some complete stranger at three in the morning, but you can't talk to your own roommate about our financial situation?!"

He pushed her back forcefully. "That's enough! Go get some sleep! If you don't you'll be late for work and get in trouble yourself!" He stomped to his room and slammed the door.

Severa slumped into the recliner and clutched her head. "You're one to talk… you bastard…"

* * *

The next day, Severa opened the door to her workplace, a preschool in Ylisstol. Her partner hadn't noticed her enter, and continued to play with the children. "Sorry I'm late, Emily."

She looked over at her and smiled. "It's fine, really." She walked over to her, and one of the boys followed behind her. "What happened?"

"I stayed up until three," She yawned. "waiting for my stupid roommate. He's really ticking me off."

"I see. He goes out a lot, right?"

"Too often. I'm sure most people would despise him by now." She knelt down to the boy. "Hey there, Tyler."

"Hi, Severa!" His cheery expression quickly turned concerned. "Um… Are you okay at home?"

"Yeah." She patted his head. "But if it wasn't for my best friend and her brother, I'm not sure if I'd be able to handle it. He's even incapable of staying home to help me when I'm sick."

Emily returned to the group of children who were calling her. "Why not just leave? Your parents won't mind, right?"

More children grouped around Severa, but she continued speaking with Emily. "I don't want to burden my parents."

"But are you sure that it's better to room with a guy who doesn't do anything to help?"

About two hours later, Emily clapped her hands. "Alright everybody, nap time!"

The children all rushed to a neat pile of blankets and a basket of pillows, taking one of each and placing them on the soft, colorfully matted floor of the preschool. Tyler rushed over to Severa while the others flocked to the blankets and pillows.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked the boy.

He thrust a fist into the air and put on a confident smile. "If this guy keeps on being mean to you, I'll teach him a lesson! You can count on me, Severa!"

She giggled and patted his head again. "Thanks, Tyler. I'll keep that in mind."

As the children all began taking their naps, the two young women went to a room in the back. Inside of the room was a small fridge. Emily opened it and took out two lunch boxes, handing one of them to Severa before sitting on the ground at a table.

"What's this?" Asked Severa as she looked at the lunchbox. "Why'd you bring it?"

"Some rice and pickled vegetables. I made too much last night so I wanted to send you home with some. Since you walked in empty handed, I assume you didn't bring your own lunch, right?"

"You're right." She said with a laugh as she joined her friend. "Thanks."

"If you need help with the rent, I'm sure I can get the higher ups to give you a raise."

Severa shook her head. "There's no need. You pay me enough as is."

Emily frowned. "But you look like you could use some help."

"If it comes to it, I'll just have to kick him out or something."

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" She said, giggling.

"He's never done anything for me other than piss me off. Shy should I care?"

"He must have _some_ redeeming qualities!"

"I wouldn't know. You'd have to ask some chick in town." She opened one of the bottles of water that was in the fridge and began drinking. "Probably doesn't matter who. I think he's fucked all of them at this point."

She sweat dropped. "Being shackled by a guy who doesn't do anything for you, huh?"

"Can't buy anything I want because of him. Only the essentials." Severa huffed.

Emily tilted her head. "Who's his boss?"

"One of his fangirls. I bet she loves him so much that she'd fine with losing all of the work."

"Interesting." The two ate in silence, with the only sound in the room being the ticking of the clock. Their peaceful silence was broken by a round of cheers from outside.

"What's going on out there?" Asked Emily.

She and Severa stood up and went outside to see Tyler on the ground, and another boy standing above triumphantly him with a pillow.

"I told you to leave her alone, Tyler! You didn't listen, so I had to do something about it!"

The boy sat up and swung his own pillow at his adversary. "I was just helping Justine!" He stood and rubbed his forehead. "Why do you have to be so clingy?"

"I'm not being clingy!" He stepped closer to Tyler, glaring at him. "You should know that it's wrong to try and steal someone's girlfriend!"

"I was helping her put her stuff away; I wasn't trying to steal her. Besides, _she_ came to _me_!"

The other boy swung his pillow again, but Tyler ducked. "You're overreacting." He looked over at a girl behind the crowd. "And you're making her look bad."

Emily put her hands on the girl's shoulders while Severa broke through the crowd and glared at the two boys. "Naptime is over. The pillows should be back in the basket."

They returned them, and were brought aside by Severa for a scolding. Emily stayed with the girl. "Are you alright, Justine?" She nodded shyly. "I'm sorry about them. Boys can be stupid sometimes."

* * *

It was later in the afternoon, and all of the children had been picked up. Severa and Emily sat in the center of the room, talking.

"So… back to your place. With that roommate of yours." Emily looked at Severa. "Want to come over for a bit? Or I could go to your place. Y'know, to keep you company."

"It's okay, really. I'll make due on my own for the day, trust me."

The two continued to talk for sometime as the day went on, ignoring everything outside of the preschool building.


	3. Chapter 3 - 4 Trusting (?) Adults

**Chapter 3: Four Responsible(?) Adults**

Severa lay on the couch, watching TV, channel surfing. "Damn. who'd have thought that Saturday could be so boring?" She sat up. "When are Morgan and Owain going to get here?"

Just as she said that, the doorbell rang. She got off of the couch and walked over to the door. When she opened it, she saw far more people than just her best friend and her brother. There were five other people with them.

"Uh… hey, everyone." Morgan and Owain entered, followed by Cynthia, Laurent, Lucina, Gaius, Maribelle, Lissa and Robin. "Guys, why are all of these people with you?"

Gaius leaned on the couch. "Morgan said that you're on your own most of the time. We wanted to stop by and say hi."

Maribelle sat on the couch. "It's truly a pity that a young woman such as yourself is all alone do often. It pained me to think about it, so I simply had to come by!"

"Thanks." She smiled at everyone. "It means a lot to me."

"Where is Inigo, anyway?" Asked Lissa. She was seated on the couch next to Maribelle and Lucina. Cynthia had taken the recliner, and everyone else stood.

"He's… out running some errands. I'm sorry about the lack of seats."

"It's quite alright." Laurent readjusted his glasses. "Your apartment is meant only for two people. It's understandable that you wouldn't have enough seats for so many people."

"This apartment is nice." Said Cynthia as she looked around. "It must be expensive."

"It's a little pricey, but we get by." She walked over to the kitchen. "Is anybody thirsty?"

Lucina raised her hand. "I'll take some water, please."

"How's Inigo?" Asked Gaius. "You hesitated when you mentioned the errands thing. Is he really out buying things?" Severa didn't speak, and Gaius chuckled. "So, where is he?"

"Out with some girl." Explained Owain. "According to Severa, it's a different lovely each and everyday."

Maribelle gasped. "That's deplorable! Has he no shame? Donnel and Olivia are such good people/ How did he end up like this?"

"Who knows?" Asked Robin with a shrug. "Besides, I'm more impressed by Severa's ability to tolerate him. Tell me, what's your secret?"

"Your kids." She handed Lucina a glass of water. "If it wasn't for them, Who knows what would've happened?"

Morgan blushed. "Oh please, there's no need to praise me like that!"

"You thirsty, Morgan?" Severa asked her friend, hoping to play a prank on her. She accepted the offer, and Severa turned to Owain. When she did, Morgan immediately regretted her decision. "Owain, want to get your sister some milk?"

She looked at her quizzically before doing as she asked.

Morgan's blushed fiercely and began waving her hands. "No, Owain, you don't have to give me any milk!"

Gaius and Robin looked over at her and then each other. Gaius began laughing, while Robin facepalmed. Lissa began to giggle, while Maribelle looked at them confusedly.

"What is it, you three? And you, Morgan. I don't see the issue with your brother getting you some milk. Why not just take it?"

"Ah... " Gaius stopped laughing and wiped a tear from his eye. "It's not that. I'll tell you once we get home."

"Why not right now?"

"Her embarrassment is the product of mankind's adept ability to take nearly all innocent words and twist them into some form of inappropriate and vulgar euphemism." Said Laurent. He looked over at Cynthia, who wore a similar dumbfounded expression, which made him smile. "It would appear that Cynthia is also confused. Anyway, I'm sure that is why Gaius is waiting until you return home; to avoid embarrassing Morgan any further."

Owain had already made it to the kitchen and remained there, leaning against the counter. "Lucina, how does it feel? I mean, you're all on your own."

She tapped her chin in thought. "True, but you're constantly with your sister and Severa hates Inigo. You're just as lonely as I am, right?"

"You got a point there." He said with a laugh. "About that, Severa, think you'll ever learn to like that guy?"

She thought for a moment. "Morgan mentioned that back when I was sick. If he changes, I might learn to not hate his guts."

"I would help to make him into an exemplary young man, but I'm afraid that he might be too much even for me."

The door opened and Inigo walked in, a woman with him. "And here we- aw, shit."

Severa ran over to him, a smile on her face. "There you are, Inigo!" She clung onto his arm. "I was starting to get worried!"

"I'm sorry." Said the woman. "Are you two a thing?"

"No, just roommates." Inigo said, glaring at her.

"But we are awfully close, right?" She winked at him.

"I see." The woman smiled at Inigo. "I enjoyed my time today. Talk to you later." She walked out and closed the door.

"Wait!" Inigo went to stop her, but narrowly avoided running into the door. "What is wrong with you?!" He turned towards her and noticed the others in the room. "Huh? Oh… hey, everyone."

"Yo." Said Gaius. "If you wanted to get some sugar, you could just come to me. I have plenty of candy I could give to you."

Severa sat on the ground against the couch and sighed. "That was horrible… I hope I never have to pretend to have a thing with you ever again."

"Likewise." He walked through the living room, greeting the others as he went and entered his room.

"Wow." Said Cynthia. "I never would've thought that it was that bad. You only pretended to like him."

Maribelle sighed and stood up. "Inigo, come here this instant!"

"Oh, great." Said Robin. He looked at his wife. "Wanna get out of here Lissa. We have that banquet later today. We could start getting ready for it now."

"Yeah, let's go. We can avoid seeing Maribelle scold Inigo to." She stood from the couch. "Thanks for having us, Severa. Are you coming, kids?"

Morgan nodded and Owain followed his family out of the door.

Lucina stood as well. "Cynthia and I must be going then as well. I'll call you soon, Severa."

"Sure, I'm looking forward to it." She gave Lucina a high five before she left, as well as Cynthia. Right before Laurent was out the door, Severa stopped him. "Going to the banquet with Cynthia?"

"I am. With how close we are, I couldn't just say no."

Severa smiled and patted his back. "Lucky dog, dating the princess of Ylisse."

He blushed and scratched his cheek. "Not officially, but a man can dream."

He left, and Severa looked back into her apartment. She saw Inigo standing in front of Maribelle with his head down as she scolded him. Gaius had taken advantage of the newfound room and taken the recliner.

"Are you going to bolt too?"

"Can't." He said. "She's my wife, after all."

Severa sat on the couch. "Wife, huh? For some reason, I feel like marriage is a luxury that Inigo will never get to experience."

"With the way that he acts, that might just be the case. Kinda sad when you think about it."

The two watched as Maribell continued to scold Inigo, both amused by his suffering .

 **I will work hard on thinking of ideas for the later chapters, but it would be appreciated if people would share their thoughts and give ideas for chapters. I'll look at them all and perhaps turn some of them into actual chapters, but any constructive criticism is appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Kitties

**Chapter 4: Kitties**

Inigo was lying on the couch, staring at the T.V as it played one of the many soap operas that aired in Ylisse. He hated soap operas, but was extremely bored and had nothing else to do.

"Ridiculous. I had never thought that Saturday could be so boring." He grudgingly said. "I'd be content with doing just about anything at this point."

He hadn't noticed when the door opened. For all he knew someone had picked the lock and was looking for something, likely to dispose of him in order to avoid leaving witnesses. However it was just Severa, who was carrying a plastic bag of groceries. She walked into the kitchen and put the bag on the counter as she began to put the food away.

"You aren't going to greet me or anything?" She asked, opening the fridge.

He looked over the couch lazily. "Oh, I didn't realize that you were back." He fell back onto the couch towards the T.V. "Where did you go anyway?"

"We were out of eggs and I ran to get some. We were missing a few other things and I stocked up on those two."

The two had become a tad more friendly during the last few days. After being scolded by Maribelle, Inigo began going to work more often and going out less. His boss even asked if everything was alright, having noticed his change in behavior.

"So, Inigo," Began Severa. "got any plans for the day?"

"No, why?"

"There's something I wanted to do with you."

He chuckled and sat up, smiling back at her. "Oh really now?" He tilted his head, keeping his playful smile. "And what is it exactly that you had in mind?"

In Severa's hand was a leek, having just taken it out of the bag. She froze as she held it, her face red and her eyes sharp. "Nothing for you to get so excited about, you perv!" She smacked the counter with the vegetable, snapping it in half. "I just wanted to go to the animal shelter!" The half of the leek that broke off flew in the air and dropped on the kitchen ground next to her.

He sat up. "Why do you need me? You just went out."

"If we're going to get a pet, it has to be something we agree on, right?" Her embarrassment and anger turned to joy as she mentioned her plan to get a pet. "Otherwise, your life might become a living hell and that would make things odd for the little thing."

"So you're more concerned about your future pet than you are me?"

She put her hands on her hip and smiled widely before nodding. "Of course. Are you coming or not?"

Inigo sighed and stood, already dressed. "I guess I don't have a choice in the matter. If I do anything to make things hard for your pet, you'll kill me."

"You said you didn't have plans. Why are you dressed?" She asked.

"I wanted to hang out with one of the guys, but they were all booked." He went to his room and a short time later returned with a white jacket. "Kinda sucks, but at least I have something to do now."

Severa finished putting away the groceries. "Got your keys?"

"Keys?" He asked. "Why are we driving there?"

"You won't let me drive your car, so I took the bus. Since you're coming along, we're driving."

He took his car keys off of the table where he left them the previous night. He put on the jacket and followed her outside.

* * *

Severa and Inigo stood in a pet shop in Ylisstol. Severa looked around awestruck, while Inigo simply observed her wonder. There was a wide variety of animals in the shop, with rodents, avians and reptiles among other creatures. Several groups and a few individuals were present, with children excitedly reaching towards the animals.

Inigo thoroughly sniffed the air. "Huh. Place doesn't smell too bad even though there are animals shitting here constantly." He looked over at Severa. "So, what kind of animal are y-"

Severa began happily strolling away from him and went immediately towards the cats, which were all contained behind a fence, like many of the other animals. Her behavior caused Inigo to quietly chuckle. He joined her and began observing the cats as well.

"They're all so precious!" She gushed, kneeling down to get closer to the cats. "I wonder which ones I'd like; it's so hard to choose!"

Inigo recoiled at her words. "Ones; as in plural? I thought we were getting one pet!"

She looked at him over her shoulder. "I thought you should get an animal you liked since I'm getting one. It's only fair, right?"

"I assume so…" He awkwardly said. "Eh?"

He noticed a black kitten sitting in the center of the others and looking at Severa. The small feline was smiling at her.

"That cat's checking you out." He told her.

She looked at it and beamed. "Aww, look at you!" She began clicking her tongue in it's direction and the kitten began sauntering towards her. It began sniffing her hand, and she took the opportunity to pat it's head.

She stood up. "Excuse me!" One of the workers rushed to her side. "Who's this little angel?"

"That's Reina." Said the young man. "Interested in her?"

"Yeah! I'd like to adopt her!"

He sweat dropped. "Really? You don't want to get a little one on one with her, to make sure she's for you?" Severa shook her head. "Okay then. I'll get the papers."

"Hold on a second." Inigo looked in the enclosure and spotted a sole kitten cowering in the corner. It's fur was snow white, and when it occasionally looked around, he got a look at it's small blue eyes. "I'd like to have some alone time with that one."

"Sure thing!" He unlocked the fence and quickly slipped in before locking it again. He went over to the white kitten and picked it up before exiting. "Right this way, sir."

The young man led the pair to a room in the back of the store and left them alone with the white kitten. He sat in the corner, meekly looking at them. Severa was on her knees looking at it, smiling gently. Inigo stood behind her, looking at it.

"It's okay to come here."She said kindly. "We won't hurt you or anything."

At the sight of her warm and welcoming smile, the small kitten began creeping towards them. It stopped partway and shrunk again.

Severa elbowed Inigo's leg. "Stop looking so serious, you're scaring him?"

Inigo sighed and walked around the cat. "If you're a male cat, then act like it! The woman said she won't bite!"'

As if it understood his words, the kitten began towards Severa again. Once in her arms, it seemed more calm and collected. She cradled it and rubbed its back gently.

"I've decided." Said Inigo. "This guy has absolutely no backbone! I'm going to do something about it."

"Alright then. Don't be too hard on him, though." She stood up with the cat, still content in her arms.

* * *

Inigo walked through the halls of the apartment complex where he and Severa lived, carrying a litter box, two feed and water bowls, bags of food and several toys. When he neared their door, he noticed someone. Lucina was leaning against the wall, waiting calmly.

At the sound of footsteps, she looked up at him. "There you guys are." She walked over to him. "Need help carrying those?"

"I'll be fine. Just get my keys, will you? They're in my right pocket."

She rustled in the pocket and opened the door, stepping aside for Inigo to enter. She saw Severa far off and held the door open for her, following right after her. She was first made aware of Severa's presence by the sound of meowing.

"Finally got those cats you wanted?" She asked once she closed the door.

Severa sat on the couch along with Inigo, set the two pet carriers on the ground and opened them. "Come on out, guys!"

The black kitten, Reina dashed out of the carrier and began exploring her new surroundings. The white kitten remained in the carrier, and only small meows came from it.

"It looks like one of your new friends doesn't want to come out." Lucina joked. "Are they shy?"

Inigo sighed. "Way too shy. Cosmo!"

The kitten crept out of the carrier, and Severa quickly shut it, preventing it from returning to it's hideaway. Reina jumped into Lucina's lap, fascinated by the new person in this new place. Cosmo laid in Severa's lap, allowing Inigo to rub his back.

"A new chapter starts in your lives today Severa, Inigo." The two nodded in response to Lucina's comment. "It's almost like the two of you are parents and these two are your kids. It's so sweet."

"What?!" Inigo blushed. "N-not at all! You can't compare these cats to kids!"

"He's right." Added Severa. "I mean, you just said these two were basically Inigo's children. That's kind of an insult."

"I'm going to pretend like you didn't say that." Said Inigo. He stood and began walking towards the supplies he brought in. "After I set these up, I'll get these two fed. Just give me a second."

"Ignoring the whole family thing," Began Lucina. "I really do think that taking care of these cats will bring the two of you closer. And given the fact that this is one of the few times you two have done something together, I think it would be worthwhile."

Severa looked at Reina, curled in Lucina's lap and then to Cosmo who looked ready to go to sleep. She nodded. "Yeah, you're right. These two are sure to make our lives much more interesting!"


	5. Chapter 5 - Duties of the Crown

**Chapter 5: Duties of the Crown**

Severa sat at a bus stop not too far from her apartment. She looked up at the partially cloudy spring sky. Flocks of birds flew overhead, and she sighed.

"Maybe it was a bad idea leaving Cosmo and Reina alone with Inigo." Cars flew by her, filling her ears with the sound of running engines, burning rubber and honking horns.

"Hey, something troubling you?" Lucina stood next to Severa, looking down at her.

The two friends had planned to spend the day together. Severa was at the bus stop waiting for her. She sat down next to her.

"You look kinda down."

"I'm fine, really." Assured Severa. "I'm just doubting Inigo's ability to take care of our cats. Knowing him, the place will be a wreck by the time I get back."

"They'll be fine!" Lucina stood from the bench. "Let's get going, shall we? The day will only last so long, so we can't screw around a ton."

Severa nodded and stood up. "Where're we going first? Want to grab a snack at a cafe or something?"

"That sounds really nice." The two young women left the bus stop and went of their way.

* * *

Severa and Lucina sat outside of one of the cafes in Ylisstol. Severa quietly sipped from from a cup of tea as Lucina nibbled on a crepe. Few people were present at the cafe, making it a very quiet and peaceful place.

Squealed Severa. "This tea is amazing! How did you find this place Lucina?"

"Through a colleague at work." She answered.

The response surprised Severa. "Work? You have a job, Lucina?"

"Indeed I do." She chuckled. "You didn't expect the princess to have a job, huh?"

"Not exactly." She scratched her cheek. "What do you do?"

"That's a secret. I might tell you one of these days." She teased. Severa puffed up her cheeks, causing Lucina to laugh. "You're so precious when you're angry!"

Severa glared at Lucina. "Why can't you treat Cynthia like that?" She asked.

"There's no reason to worry about that." She continued eating her crepe, ignoring Severa's continuous questions.

After Lucina had finished her crepe, she crumpled the wrapper and looked at Severa. "So, how's it going back at home? Are the little ones adapting okay?"

"Reina's fine." She happily replied. "She explores a lot. She's even knocked down some stuff. Nothing has broken yet. Cosmo, on the other hand…"

Lucina tilted her head and frowned slightly. "Is as timid as ever?" Severa nodded. "Didn't you say that Inigo was going to try to help him with that?"

"He did, but all he does is go to work and go out with his little sluts." She sounded irritated.

"Does he go out as often as he used to?"

"No, he goes out a lot less often, but he still does it."

Lucina crossed her arms. "I wonder when we'll all be able to get together again and hang out."

"It shouldn't be too long until then." Severa rested her head on her fist and looked into the sky. "They've been busy, but it's not like they never get days off. All of our schedules will line up one day."

"You're right. Wanna go shopping after this? I've been meaning to buy some new clothes."

Severa gasped. "The princess of Ylisse having to buy clothes? I would have imagined that your wardrobe was large enough. Unless you need to replace something." She put on a mischievous cat like smile.

Lucina backed away in her chair and smiled nervously. "W-what is it?"

She giggled and leered at Lucina's chest. "It's nice to know that you're still growing Lucy. Now you won't have to feel as inferior to Noire."

Lucina covered her chest to block Severa's gaze. "What makes you think I feel inferior to Noire?"

"The almighty Princess Lucina is terrified of insects, so why can't she be jealous of her friend's tits?"

"These clothes were intended to be gifts for Cynthia, I'll have you know!"

"Alright, alright." Severa sat in silence for a moment. "That reminds me, it's been awhile since we've last spoken to Noire. I feel kinda bad."

"Let's get her involved when we try to get the whole gang together."

"That's a great idea!" Severa stood from the table they were sitting at. "I think I'm going to go buy her a gift to apologize for not talking to her for so long!"

She ran off, and Lucina hurriedly stood from the table, knocking over her chair. She picked it up and thanked one of the employees, requesting that they pick up Severa's tea cup and coaster before throwing out the wrapper he crepe came in.

* * *

Lucina chased after Severa down the street, eventually catching up with her. "So, where exactly do you plan on going to buy this gift for Noire?"

"I'm not too sure, actually. I'll think about it while we're shopping. I want to get her something she'd like.

"Maybe you could buy her some clothes. She might li-" Her phone rang in her pocket and she answered it. "Lucina speaking. What's the issue?" Severa observed Lucina as she spoke and was taken aback by a small gasp. "Where, exactly? Towards Main Street? On it! I'll try to apprehend them and hold them for you!" She hung up and glanced at Severa. "Sorry, but something came up. I'll call you once I'm done!"

She took off down the street, leaving Severa dumbstruck. Without hesitation, Severa followed her. Down the street, Lucina reached into an inside pocket in the blazer she was wearing and pulled out a police badge. She put it on her breast and continued running down the streets of Ylisstol, with Severa trailing behind her.

As Lucina reached Main Street, she noticed a red car speeding around the corner, and then begin to weave through the traffic. She pulled a pistol out of her blazer and carefully aimed towards the speeding vehicle's tires.

Severa stood back and watched as her friend fired the gun twice, blowing out the front tires as it came towards her, and the back tires after it passed. With all of the tires gone it quickly began spinning out until it stopped in the middle of the street, blocking oncoming traffic.

Lucina ran towards the car and pointed the gun towards the driver as he opened the door. "Freeze! Put your hands behind your head and don't move a muscle!" The man stopped and did as she complied. "I am Lucina Fraus of of the YPD, placing you under arrest for bank robbery and human capitivity!"

"The princess, say?" The man didn't seem afraid. "It's an honor to be in the presence of someone like you."

Keeping her eyes and guns on the man, she quickly walked to the other side of the car, where she saw another man sitting inside. "Out, now!" She barked.

The man got out, and Lucina ordered him to put his hands behind his head as well. His accomplice, standing on the other side of the car, pulled a gun out of the back of his pants. Lucina reacted by shooting at his hand, only to miss and have him shoot. She dodged the bullet, only to have the other man grab her arm.

"Sorry, missy!" Yelled the first man. He looked around, seeing that everyone else had hidden or fled. "We're getting out of here. Search her and get rid of anything the cops could use to track us." He opened the back seat and began barking orders for someone to get out.

Lucina gasped as she saw her friend Noire come out of the car. He trained his gun on her and took two large sacks of money from the car. "Let's go."

The second man ripped Lucina's gun out of her hand and hit her in the back of the head as she tried to hit him. She fell to her knees and he put the firearms in his pocket. He bent down to take off her blazer.

The first man took the keys out of the car and drove Noire towards another car of the same make that was down the street. He put the key in the lock, and immediately had his arm pinned behind his back. Severa had snuck up on him and pried the gun from his hand before slamming him against the car.

His accomplice looked over, completely forgetting about Lucina who knelt on the ground before him. She swept her foot under him, knocking him onto the ground. She quickly picked him up and pinned him against the other car.

The two held the men until two more police cars arrived on Main Street. Out of one of the cars came a young man with jet black hair who was more decorated than his fellow officers.

"Secure the perpetrators and call a tow truck." He ordered. Afterwards, Lucina walked over to him, along with Severa and Noire. "Greeting Princess."

"Greetings, Officer Grant." She said.

"Thank you for your aid on your day off, chief." He said. "And you as well, miss."

Severa blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "It was nothing. I just saw my friend in danger and had to help."

He then turned to Noire. "As for you, miss. I'll need you to come to the station later today to answer a few questions. Right now would be prefered, however."

"Oh, um…"She nodded. "I'll go right now if it's more convenient for you, officer."

"I appreciate it, but..." Grant cleared his throat. "My apologies, the only free seat we have is in the back of my squad car."

"It's fine, really." Said Noire sweetly.

"Thank you." He turned to Lucina once more. "Enjoy the rest of your off day, chief. I'll see you in the station soon." He led Noire to his squad car and opened the back for her before getting in the passenger seat himself.

Severa looked over at Lucina as the two squad cars drove away. "What did he mean by 'chief''?"

"Oh." She laughed nervously. "I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I act as Ylisstol's chief of police."

"Interesting. Are you alright? Your head, I mean."

"I'll be fine. Let's just continue on with our day, okay?" She rolled her shoulder. "I really do need to go shopping."

"Sure thing." She looked as people began emerging from their hiding spots. They looked at them in awe and began whispering. "Let's just get going before someone runs over here and asks for an autograph or something."

"Sure thing." Lucina put her blazer back on and calmly began strolling down the street. Severa looked around once more and hurried after her friend.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Beast

**Chapter 6: The Beast**

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

The horrified screech rang through the apartment, causing Reina to look towards it's source in intrigue and make Cosmo run to a corner in order to hide. Inigo threw his door open and looked down the hall. He saw Severa sitting against the wall in the fetal position, rocking back and forth.

"Hey!" He knelt down next to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" She didn't answer, but only mumbled to herself. "Severa!"

After hearing him yell her name, she slowly looked up at him. "I-Inigo?" Tears were welling up in her eyes, and she wrapped her arms from his neck. "I'm so glad that you're here!"

He gently stroked her hair and smiled. "Yes, I'm right here. What is it that made you so upset?"

She sniffled and looked him in the eye. "T-there's something in the bathroom."

Inigo helped her up and looked towards the bathroom, holding her hand tightly. "The bathroom?" He took a step, but Severa didn't move. "What is it?"

She shook her head frantically. "I'm not going back in there!" Inigo let go of her hand and walked towards the bathroom. "Don't do it, Inigo!"

He stopped in front of the bathroom and looked back. Severa looked at him, great concern in her eyes and tears running down her cheeks. Reina had joined her, standing by Severa standing on the tips of her feet as if to protect her owner. He smiled at them and took a deep breath before turning the doorknob.

Severa ran from the hallway to her room to grab her phone before returning to Reina. As she did, she heard Inigo scream followed by a loud thud.

"I-I'm fine!" His voice came from behind the door, shaky and scared.

"Inigo, I'm calling the others for help, okay!"

"T-that's a great idea!" His footsteps could be heard from within and so could various things falling onto the ground. Rapid tapping sounds could be heard as well.

It wasn't long before Inigo dashed outside of the bathroom, slamming the door shut. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees, panting heavily. He slowly walked over to Severa and leaned against the walls.

"Gods…" He looked at her. "The hell was that thing?" He shuddered. "So large… so many legs, those pincers and eyes. I think it might've been a little hairy, too!"

Severa shuddered. "Don't remind me. Morgan and Owain will be here soon. Hopefully, they'll be able to help with that thing." Inigo sat down, and she sat next to him. "Thanks for helping."

"No problem." He sighed. "Who could ignore a scream like that?" He stood and waited by the door.

When it rang, he opened it right away. The speed startled Morgan a bit. Her surprise was replaced by confusion when she saw the startled Inigo.

"Hey… Severa said something real important happened. What's up?"

"There's an enormous bug in our bathroom." He told them. "We need your help getting rid of it."

"Really now?" Asked Owain, arms crossed. He laughed. "How enormous; a little smaller than your fist?"

"It towers over me." He said chillingly. "Come quickly." He led them to the hallway.

When Morgan saw Severa, she hurried to her friend's side. "Are you okay? Inigo mentioned a huge bug."

Severa slowly nodded. "Yeah. I was just minding my own business when it crawled out from behind the shower curtain. Inigo couldn't do anything, so I thought to call you two."

Owain rolled up his sleeves, a confident look on his face. "Just leave it to me." He marched to the bathroom door and opened it. He wasn't inside for more than a few moments before he reemerged. "Damn… Inigo wasn't lying." He shakily walked back to the group.

"Whoa." Morgan was in awe as she saw her older brother so frightened. "If Owain is scared, then…" She took a deep breath and puffed out her chest. "Screw this thing! I'll take care of it and make it regret freaking you out so much!" She angrily marched over as well.

Owain and Inigo sat against the wall, the former stroking Reina's back. "You should probably get Lucina over here." Said Owain.

It wasn't long before Lucina had arrived. When walked in to see them all, save for Morgan, eagerly watching the bathroom door. Similar sounds of running and breaking objects came from within.

"So, what's going on?" She asked with a smile, unaware of the situation.

Morgan soon came out of the bathroom, one of her shirt sleeves torn and holding a large insect leg. "I did all I could… sorry."

"It's fine, really." Said Severa. "I'm happy that you're alright."

Lucina looked in utter shock at Morgan. He mouth gaped and her eyes were wide. "U-uh… What?" Morgan rejoined them all, making Lucina reflexively step back. "I-i-i-if you guys were dealing with a bug," She pointed at the leg. "with legs _that_ large, why did you call me?"

Inigo nudged Owain with his shoulder. "It was his idea."

She glared at him, but he stood up and waved his hands in front of himself. "I can explain! You're perfectly fine fighting other people and Risen, which are practically zombies, so with this thing, which is practically a monster, I thought you'd be fine!"

"Well, I won't be!" She began shivering. "T-this is ridiculous!"

Severa took a deep breath and grasped Lucina's hand. "I'll go with you, okay, Lucy?"

"You said you weren't going back in there." Said Inigo, reaching out to her. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure." She said. "I'm read Lucy."

"The princess of Ylisse shook her head and gulped. "Let's go." Hand in hand, the two young women entered the room.

The resulting screams were much louder than Severa's that assaulted Inigo's eardrums earlier. Everyone present covered their ears and Reina did as well. They came out of the bathroom tripping over each other and Severa climbed over Lucina to close the door.

"How did that thing get here?!" Screamed Lucina. "It doesn't occur in nature!"

Severa hurried to Inigo. "You must know what happened!"

"Give me a sec…" He gasped. "Hold it! Laurent came in here yesterday saying something about bugs! I didn't pay attention to it, but if anyone would know what happened, it would be him!"

"Got it! I'll call him over right now!" Morgan quickly dialed his number and told him of everything that had transpired.

He had taken longer to arrive than Morgan, Owain and Lucina. The wait made the others more anxious. They all huddled around the door, and when the doorbell rang, it was opened that very instant.

Laurent stood there with Cynthia behind him. The girl held some long object that was tightly wrapped. The two were both shocked by the reaction their friends had to the ring.

"So, about what Morgan told me." Laurent said as he entered. "It would appear that my experiment pertaining to the longevity of insects went horribly wrong."

"Why were you researching that in my house?" Asked a confused Inigo. "And _how_ _the fuck_ did that thing end up in my bathroom?"

"I disposed of it thinking it had died." He admitted. "Apparently it hadn't. It then climbed out of the trash can, hid in your shower and grew."

Severa stepped in front of him. "But how did it get that big in a day?"

"I was intending to make it's life span much longer than it originally was, but it would seem that I accidentally made it grow much larger than it originally was."

Lucina had ignored Laurent and looked at her sister. "So… might I ask what you have wrapped up there, Cynthia?"

"Um…" The girl hid it behind her back. "Nothing all to important, sis!"

Lucina stared at her sister with an empty look and spoke in a flat, disapproving tone. "You brought the Falchion to kill this bug, didn't you?"

"Well…"

Lucina held her hand out. Cynthia sighed and put the wrapped sword in her sister's hand. "You'd better hope that no one has noticed that it disappeared."

"Well, Cynthia," Began Laurent. "will you be joining me in my quest to destroy this beast, or will you stay out here?"

"I'll go with you!"

The young man and woman approached the bathroom with the others following behind. Cosmo remained in his corner, observing everything from afar. Like Inigo and Morgan before, screams, footsteps and breaking objects could be heard from within.

There was another ring at the doorbell, and Cosmo left the corner to look up at it. The doorbell rang again after there was no answer, and he began meowing. Reina noticed his call and poked Severa's ankle. The young woman looked at Cosmo who was pawing at the door.

She opened it and saw Noire standing before her, smiling and holding a basket of bread. "Hello, Severa."

"Oh, hi Noire." She was nervous. "How can I help you?"

She help up the basket. "I baked these and I was wondering if you'd like to have some."

"That's really nice, but I'm kind of busy right now." She tried to sound as kind as possible.

Another crash could be heard in the background. "What's going on?" Asked Noire.

Inigo peaked his head from around the corner. "Come over here! We've decided to gang up on it! Huh? Hi, Noire."

"Gang up? On what?"

Severa chuckled nervously. "A huge bug, is all." Noire let herself in and walked past Severa. She reached out towards her. "Hey...!"

Noire joined the others in the hall as the door opened and Laurent and Cynthia burst out.

"Dammit all!" Exclaimed Laurent. "I never intended to create that thing!" He ran from the door, and Cynthia followed. They had left the door opened.

Lucina screamed in terror as a large, black creature emerged from the bathroom. The insect was like a centipede, with many small legs and large pincers at the top of it's head. It had small black eyes and stood taller than everyone present. One of it's legs was missing, and it seemed tired.

Inigo stepped in front of the group and cracked his knuckles. "Alright, everyone! Let's take this thing out together!"

Noire stepped in front of him and spread out her arms. "Don't do it! This poor thing is hurt and confused! You can't just go and kill it like this! There has to be a way for us to put it somewhere it won't disturb anyone!"

The insect lunged at her, cutting the back of her shirt and destroying the basket. Noire looked in terror as the bread fell onto the ground, which was becoming wet with the sweat of everyone who had attempted to exterminate the creature.

When the bread fell, she looked at the basket and her expression grew dark and she began trembling.

"You… you…" She turned around, glaring at it. "You...bastard!" She began walking towards it slowly. The insect began backing away, and into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her.

Everyone looked at the door in anticipation. From within came loud screeches, muffled thuds, and angered grunts. Soon, the sound ended and Noire emerged, her shirt, arms and face splattered with a green liquid. She held a metal pole, which was mostly covered in the substance.

"Damn…" Inigo was the first to speak. "She actually did it."

"That's the pole thing we put our towels on." Severa noted. "She beat it to death with that thing."

"Such bravery…" Said Lucina.

Cynthia crossed her arms and tilted her head. "It's good that it's gone and all, but… how are we going to get rid of the corpse? Or clean up the blood? And how are Inigo and Severa going to replace everything that broke?"

Inigo sighed. "I'll just use some of the cash I was saving. As for the clean up…" He looked over at Severa. "Any ideas?"

She shrugged. "I'm stumped."

"We'll just stay and help." Offered Lucina.

Morgan shook her head. "You and Cynthia should probably get going. Like you said, it would be bad if someone found out Falchion was snuck out of the castle. I think Laurent should stay though."

"He readjusted his glasses. "This was my fault. As such, I must take responsibility."

* * *

Several hours had passed. Inigo was lying on the couch, watching cartoons. Cosmo was cuddled by his chest, sleeping. Severa walked behind the couch, now in her nightgown.

"That was one hell of an evening, huh?" She asked.

"Yeah." He looked up at her. "Something I won't forget anytime soon."

"Thanks." She said. "Y'know for helping me today. It was nice of you to go into the bathroom, even though you knew something that terrified me was in there."

"It's nothing. It's over and now we can relax." He turned back to the T.V, where he lay motionless, until he felt something on his cheek. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Severa's face and looked up at her.

She was blushing faintly and turned to go to her room. "Good night, Inigo. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night." He smiled to himself. "Interesting. Even if I did something kind, I wouldn't have thought that she'd kiss me on the cheek." He looked down at Cosmo and began rubbing his back. "I think that things might be looking up for your old man a little bit."


	7. Chapter 7 - Obsession Pt 1

**Chapter 7: Obsession Pt.1**

Severa was cleaning the apartment one Sunday afternoon after a small party she and Inigo had held the day before to celebrate the death of the enormous bug that had entered their bathtub. She was picking up plates and cups that were left on the table. Inigo was absent, having simply told Severa he had plans that day.

There was no reason for him to tell Severa what he was doing. She already knew that he had planned to go out with one of the many girls he spent time with. However, it didn't anger Severa; in fact, she didn't mind at all. She had come to accept that Inigo would always be a womanizer, no matter how much she tried. She chose to ignore it and be grateful for his continued support with the bills.

After collecting everything, Severa placed them all in the sink. She then sat on the couch and turned on the T.V. "It's nice to be done with that. And I cleaned my room too." She laid down. "It's nice." She said.

Cosmo ran over to Severa and jumped next to her. Reina jumped onto the counter and began walking around. The curious kitten paid mind not to knock anything over. She had knocked things over before and been scolded for it, quickly learning her lesson.

"Although…" Severa sighed. "It's a little unfair that Inigo's room is staying all dirty while I've been cleaning all of the other rooms. Maybe I should stop inside and make sure that everything is in order." She sat up. "I don't think that he'd mind too much. As long as I don't mention it to him."

She got off of the couch and walked to his door. She stopped for a moment before opening the door. She had never been inside of his room and expected the worst. Instead, she found a very ordinary room. She walked in closed the door. Turning around, she noticed a poster on the back of the door.

"Of course." She said grudgingly.

The poster was an adult image of a busty woman wearing nothing but an apron having spilled batter in her breasts.

"I am not surprised." She continued into the room and stopped next to his bed. She got on her knees and began looking underneath the bed. "Where could they be?" She saw several pairs of shoes and pulled them out from under the bed.

In the back, she saw a box and laughed to herself. She pulled the box out and opened it. Like she had expected, she saw an adult magazine cover as soon as the box was open. She picked it up and found that rather than a magazine, it was a thick book.

"Wow. This is a lot bigger than I thought." She began looking through it, taking her time.

It was the usual array of buxom, half naked woman in compromising positions often having spilled suggestive white substances on themselves that is supposed to be ice cream or something else.

When she was about halfway through it, she heard the door open.

"Hello, Severa." Inigo stood in the doorway, looking at her disapprovingly.

She turned to him and smiled innocently. Her voice was childish and sweet. "Oh, hello Inigo. How are you, today?"

"Fine." He stepped towards her. "I'd appreciate it if you gave me that back." He reached his hand towards her and waited.

"Not yet, I'm almost done." She reached to turned the page, and noticed Inigo's face quickly become panicked. "What; does it turn into some weird Yaoi shit halfway through or something?"

She turned the page to see a tankōbon volume sitting in the middle of a large cut out hole. On the cover was a young girl being hugged from behind by an older woman with thin, light blue pixie wings.

"What the…" Severa looked at the title. "Ramifications of Mana?" She then turned to Inigo. "Is there a reason you have this?"

He stared at her awkwardly, his face a deep crimson. "Uh… Well…"

Severa stood and looked towards a bookshelf. "Let's see…" She began walking towards it.

"Hold on a minute!" Screamed Inigo, running in front of her. "You should really leave my room! And give me that back!" He held his hand out once more.

Severa shoved him aside and took one of the books from the bookcase. From behind it, she saw a spine that read 'Ramifications of Mana' like the book she held in her hand. She giggled and began tearing the books off of the shelves. Inigo sat on the ground, watching in terror.

When she was done, she had discovered that all of the normal books were simply hiding a huge collection of manga.

"You're obsessed." She laughed and looked at him, a smile on his face. He was looking at the bookcase, utterly horrified. "What's up?"

He began picking the books and shoving them back into the bookcase. "You're horrible, Severa! Why would you do something like that?!" He swiped the volume she held and put it among the others.

"If that one was hidden in a huge porno mag in a box behind a bunch of shoes under your bed, why just put it on the bookcase?"

He ran his finger along the spine. "The first volume of 'Ramifications of Mana' is actually quite rare. If somone who was knowledgeable of this broke into my room, they could steal it. I can't have that. But seeing it here got me thinking." He looked at her, a serious look in his eye. "It would be better to just hide it in plain sight." He began sobbing quietly.

"What's wrong?" Asked Severa, taking a step towards him. "Are you alright?"

"N-now you know my dark secret…!" He backed up against the wall. "My life is over…"

Severa reached out and took his hand. Inigo gave her a quizzical look, but said nothing as she dragged him out of his room and down the hall towards her own. Cosmo and Reina were standing at the end of the hall, looking at their owners.

She stopped in front of her door and looked back at him. "Normally, I would never let you go into my room, or else I'd kill you. However, given the circumstances, I think I'll let it slide."

"What is this about?"

She opened the door slowly. Reina and Cosmo joined the two at their feet. The black and white kittens screeched when the door was fully opened. The room was covered in pink; pink wallpaper, pink bed, and many stuffed animals spread throughout the room. The majority of said stuffed animals were pink.

Inigo slowly walked past her and into the room. Reina took a step forward, but stopped when Cosmo remained at the door. The white kitten turned, but Reina grabbed his tail and began dragging him inside.

"There's so much pink." Inigo said in shock. "This must be why you never wanted me in here."

She walked next to him. "That, and you might go snooping."

"Like you did in my room?"

She sat on her bed and placed a large stuffed bear in her lap and hugged it tightly. "Yeah, exactly. If you were gonna tease me about it, I'd make sure you forget. But since you're taking it so well, I'll let you stay here a little longer."

He spun in place slowly, taking in the room. "All the walls, the bed, the the stuffed animals." He then looked at her. "You really like pink. And stuffed animals." He took a few steps towards her and ruffled her hair. "Guess you're still a kid inside, huh?"

"I am not a kid!" She shouted, throwing his hand away. "These are just things my parents bought me when I was a kid that I couldn't bring myself to get rid of, okay!"

He chuckled. "I see. Well, we're even. You know of my love for manga, and I know of your obsession with pink and stuffed animals."

"About that, actually." She stood up, the bear still in her arms. "You'll have to let me read those sometime, especially that 'Ramifications of Mana' thing!"

He scratched his cheek nervously. "I'll think about it, okay?" He smiled wide. "I got an idea! When we next see the others, we should find out if they have any obsessions like ours!"

"If that's the case, you should be prepared to tell them about yours." She said. She set the bear down. "It was nice having this little 'bonding' session, Inigo. I feel like I know you a little bit better. But _you_ have to leave now."

She began pushing him out and Cosmo followed right behind. "I understand, but you don't have to push me out, y'know."

He was outside of the door and she began closing it. "I know, but I don't trust you to not take a long time doing that."

She shut the door and Inigo sighed. "Interesting."

He walked back to his own room and looked at the pile of books sprawled on the ground as well as the shoes that had been taken from underneath his bed. He sat on his bed, looked at his magazine and picked it up. "Who knows, maybe she'll trust me a tiny bit more or something. You did me good." He lay back on his bed. "Pink and stuffed animals, huh? Actually pretty cute. Wouldn't have expected that from her, but I kinda like it."


	8. Chapter 8 - Obsessions Pt 2

**Chapter 8: Obsessions Pt. 2**

Inigo stood by the door of the apartment, leaning against the kitchen counter. He held his smartphone in his hand, looking at the time.

"It's three now. We are officially late." He smiled to himself. "Oh well. Severa, you ready yet?"

He heard her door open, and she soon entered the living room, dressed and ready to go. She held a small white teddy bear, and one of the many manga volumes that was in Inigo's room.

"I'm all set! Let's not keep the others waiting, okay?"

"Did you go into my room?" He asked in an amused tone. "Would you like to explain yourself?"

"You yourself said that you wanted to see if the others had obsessions like us." She explained. "To encourage them to tell us, I thought it would be good to tell them about ours."

Inigo sighed and took his manga. "Fine." He opened the door. "I filled the feed and water bowls. I left some of their toys out for them to keep themselves occupied with."

Severa turned around and knelt down. "Reina, Cosmo!" Inigo closed the door as the cats ran to her. "Mommy and daddy are going out. We'll be back in a few hours so stay safe and behave, okay?" She looked up at Inigo. "Aren't you going to say something to them?"

He knelt down and patted their heads. "Like mama said, we'll be back in a little while. Don't destroy the place." The two happily meowed. Inigo opened the door again and walked out after Severa. "Did you have to refer to us as 'mommy and daddy'?"

"Well, we are kinda like their parents, aren't we?" She asked. "Don't let that get to your head though, okay?" She smiled at him playfully.

"Don't worry, it won't."

* * *

Severa and Inigo sat with their friends inside of a mall food court. They were all eyeing the stuffed bear that Severa held.

"So," Owain cleared his throat. "what's with the bear?"

"This is Molly!" She happily announced, a bright smile on her face.

Cynthia waved at the bear awkwardly. "Hi Molly. I wouldn't have expected you to have something like that."

"I have a lot more, actually!" She announced. "Right, Inigo?"

The group gasped. "You know about those?"

Severa nodded. "He does! I found something of his, and in return, I let him see all of my stuffed animals."

Noire leaned closer to Severa. "What did you find in Inigo's room? Was it something dirty?"

His cheeks flushed and Severa giggled, glancing at him mischieviously. "I found some porn, yes. However, the discover I made was…" The group looked at her with intense intrigue. "that Inigo is a lolicon!"

The group let out a large gasp in unison, and Inigo frantically looked at them all. "What?! No, no, that's not it!"

"Oh, really?" Teased Severa. "Then explain all of the manga you own about little girls in flashy outfits?"

He placed the book he was hiding in his lap on the table. "When it comes to Magical Girls, I don't know who else would fit the bill other than a young girl!"

Everyone stifled laughter, save for Laurent and Owain, who smiled at him.

"Fascinating." Said Laurent. "I really wasn't expecting you to be interested in something like that."

Severa kept a smile on her face. "Well then, everyone." They all turned to her. "There is a reason for Inigo and myself bringing these with us today. We were wondering if you would tell us about certain obsessions you all have."

Lucina lightly punched her younger sister. "Like Cynthia and the Falchion. She always tries to use it to cut things like fruit or vegetables and kill bugs. It's ridiculous!"

Cynthia pouted. "Come on, Lucy! Then I'll- I'll…"She let her head drop. "I got nothing. You're way too normal."

Lucina crossed her arms triumphantly. "Exactly!"

Morgan tapped her chin in thought. "I wonder… do I have any obsessions?"

Everyone looked at her in disappointment. Owain sipped from his milkshake, and Noire looked at all of the others in confusion.

"Are you really asking yourself that?" Severa asked. "An obsession might not be the best way to put it, but you're kind of a pervert."

"A pervert?!" Yelled a panicked Morgan. Many gazes in the food court turned to her and she lowered her head, her face a deep red. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Owain's milk." Said Laurent bluntly. Morgan covered her ears and let out a small squeal. "Exactly."

Inigo glanced over at Noire. "I wonder how she'd react to other things. Aside from that, I haven't her really act like a perv."

"More than once, I've seen her eyes wander whenever we pass an attractive woman." Said Lucina. "And I think I might've seen her in the adult section of a manga shop once. I might've been seeing things, though."

Morgan kept her head down, refusing to look at the others.

"While it might be weird, it's not uncommon for some well known people to have fanfictions written about them." Cynthia said. "Especially naughty ones. What if you found something about…" She linked her arms around Lucina and Noire, who were sitting next to her. "these two? Would you like that, Morgan?"

"No, not at all!" Her voice was muffled by the table. She let out a small squeak and raised her head, covering her mouth with her hand. "Tissue, please." Her brother handed her a handful of tissues. She removed her hand and cleaned the area she was covering. Her nose had started bleeding.

Inigo smiled smugly. "See, you got a nosebleed. Although, I'm not sure if that's definitive proof that you're a perv."

"It's good enough for me." Severa said. "Laurent, Owain, Noire, what about you guys?"

"It's not an obsession, exactly." Noire said. "But since we're talking about things like Morgan maybe being a pervert, I think it would be fine to mention that I'm a bit of a sadist. More so, my 'Inner Demon' is."

"Really?" Asked Laurent. "Interesting. I've always wondered about sadomasochism. Perhaps I could do some kind of research."

"No you won't!" Shouted Cynthia. "I won't let you do something like that!"

"I'm a human being, Cynthia." He said. "I can do what I want."

Owain sipped his milkshake again. "Sounds to me like you want an excuse to fuck Noire."

Inigo leaned towards Severa. "We can here to find out about their obsessions. We only heard something about Cynthia."

"At least we learned that Noire's a sadist and have more confirmation to the fact the Morgan is a pervert."

"Oh yeah!" Morgan exclaimed. "How are Cosmo and Reina? Did you get someone to look after them or something?" The two shook their heads. "Why would you leave your kittens home unsupervised?"

"They'll be fine." Severa assured. "Reina is like the big sister. If anything happens, she'll be there to make sure it ends well."

Lucina sighed. "You say that, but leaving your kids home alone to have a date night is a little irresponsible, don't you think?"

"Date night?" Inigo scowled at her. "Why would you say that?"

"You two were late, likely because you were doing something romantic." She looked around the table, and the others agreed with her. "Am I right, you two?"

"You are not right." Severa calmly said. "I simply slept in and spent a long time getting ready. It's not like Inigo and I were doing anything."

"You're really chill, Severa." Noted Owain. "It's Molly, isn't it?" He looked at the bear. "She gives you courage, it would seem."

Severa looked up at Inigo. "It's mainly him though. If you weren't willing to bring that manga along, I wouldn't have brought Molly in the first place."

"Oh yeah." Morgan said. "Severa, you said that you found porn in Inigo's room. Did it happen to be related to the Magical Girls he loves so much?"

"Excuse me?" Inigo asked, glaring at her. "I like and respect these characters. Seeing them in situations like that seems wrong to me. I would never think about purchasing pornography featuring said characters."

"That's the reason?" Asked Morgan. "They are little girls, after all."

"Also that." He added.

"It was just the stereotypical stuff that guys are always accused of owning." She said. Severa reached for the table and felt the flat surface. "Looks like lunch is just about over." She said. "Any ideas, guys?"

Cynthia's hand shot up. "I heard that Gaius was supposed to be here today!"

Severa leaned over the table. "Uncle Gaius is here? That's amazing!"

"There's never a dull moment with him around." Said Inigo. "But I think I'll pass. There's some stuff that I want to buy."

"Are you coming, Laurent?" Cynthia looked at him with big, childish eyes. "We'll have a lot of fun!"

Laurent nodded. "I'll tag along."

The group all stood in the center of the food court. Severa, Cynthia and Laurent stood away from the others. They bid each other farewell and the three of them went off into the mall to find Gaius.


	9. Chapter 9 - Candy Caper

**Chapter 9: Candy Caper**

Cynthia skipped through the halls of the mall, Severa and Laurent trailing behind her. Gaius was commonly referred to as 'uncle' amongst the group for his connection to all of them. Whenever he was around, he always brought them on fun and interesting adventures through the city.

"Where exactly is Gaius, anyway?" Asked Severa. "Did he mention why he was coming to the mall?"

"Knowing him, he's at Confection Carnival. I don't know if this was intentional, but Cynthia's taking us in the right direction."

Confection Carnival was the largest candy store in Ylisstol. Of all of the candy stores in the city, Confection Carnival had the largest selection. Most of the people that came to the store came for some of the exclusive candy that they sold. It was these candies that made the store so successful.

Laurent was right about what Cynthia was planning. She led them right to Confection Carnival, where they found Gaius standing on the other side of the floor, looking up at the store. Cynthia ran over to him, weaving through the people that were getting off and on of the escalator.

"Uncle Gaius!" Cynthia was holding back a strong urge to hug Gaius.

He was never fond of hugs, and the first few times she did it, he simply told her not to do it. Severa and Laurent joined them, and Gaius looked over at them.

"Oh, hey guys. What're you doing here?"

Severa chuckled and crossed her arms. "Why are you asking us? You're the guy in his forties looking at a candy store!"

" _I_ am a candy connoisseur! It would only make sense that I'm observing this store. "Besides, there's something I have to do." He began walking towards the store, and Cynthia followed right behind him.

"Are you doing something fun and cool, Uncle Gaius?" Asked an enthusiastic Cynthia as she followed him.

"I guess you could say that. You might not want to get involved, though."

"You're a well respected veteran, Gaius." Said Laurent. "What could you be getting yourself involved in, anyway?"

Severa grabbed his sleeve. "Have some faith, Laurent! Gaius won't do anything bad!"

He glanced back at them, smiling. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch, deary." He stopped in front of the store and looked around. "Want to hear what your Uncle Gaius has in store, kiddies?"

Cynthia nodded fervently. Severa calmly bobbed her head, and Laurent simply stood alongside them.

Gaius pointed to a poster on the window. A golden piece of candy wrapped in a bee striped wrapper was above the word 'New' in a very dynamic speech bubble. The words 'Royal Honey Glob' were above it.

"The Royal Honey Glob is a candy made from Exalted Silver Bee Honey. It's the finest honey in Ylisse, and arguably the entire planet! The rarity of the main ingredient has led to these things being super expensive."

Laurent's eyes widened. "You're planning on…! I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that!"

"Calm down!" Severa said. "If he does rob them, it's not like this company will go bankrupt!" She looked over at him nervously. "Right?"

"Yeah! The candy makers make all sorts of stuff! Even if all of the Royal Honey Globs got scooped up, there other products will save them. Besides, unless they used every piece of gold they had to make them and then sent every single piece to this store, there will still be plenty of Royal Honey Globs in Ylisse for them to profit off of!"

Cynthia's mouth began to water. "I want to help! I can't wait to eat them…!"

"Don't be preposterous!" Scolded Laurent. "With all of the candy gone, he would be able to make a huge profit!"

"That may be true Laurent, but I'd never do that! I'm keeping all of that legendary candy to myself!"

Severa sweat dropped. "That's what you're worried about? And not the fact that the cops will find you in a few days. Y'know, having a huge stock of Royal Honey Blobs right after Confection Carnival was robbed."

"True." Gaius nodded. "You all know about my plan now. You have two choices: help me or be disposed of."

Cynthia and Severa raised their hands. Laurent stared at them, stunned. He sighed and slowly raised his own hand.

"Perfect!" He looked at the crowd around them. "It would appear that no one heard us. But, we should really go somewhere private. We can't have some candy loving kid or older candy appreciater hearing the plan and ratting us out. Somewhere full of bitter old people should be good. Any ideas?"

"We could just go to my room in the palace!" Cynthia suggested. "I don't think anyone will listen in there! At least, they won't listen in and take it seriously."

Gaius put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Perfect! Just for that, you get half of the haul."

* * *

The four sat in Cynthia's large room in the royal palace. She, Severa and Laurent sat on her large bed while Gaius stood in front of a blueprint that was put on the wall. Laurent looked as though he didn't want to be present.

"Okay, everybody. This is a copy of Confection Carnival's blueprints." There were blue areas shaped like pie slices on the blueprints, as well as colored lines. "The pie pieces are the range of their security cameras. The lines are their guard's patrol routes."

Laurent noticed that there were few cameras and guards. "It's rather lax on the security, isn't it?"

"This is a candy store we're talking about." Severa responded. "What were you expecting?"

"You have a point. What's the plan, Gaius? Can't just walk in, can we?"

"Actually, we can. We just have it time it really well."

Laurent raised his hand. "When you said 'dispose of' earlier, what exactly did you mean?"

"I had originally intended for this to be a solo gig, but thought that it would be harder for you guys to rat me out if it meant incriminating yourself. I don't really need you at all. I guess that if you want to leave, you can."

"You're really trusting us, aren't you?" Laurent sighed and stood from Cynthia's bed. "I apologize, but I must withdraw. I won't say a word of this to anyone. You have my word."

"I think I'll drop out too. I just realized that doing this means leaving Inigo with Cosmo and Reina. I won't tell anyone either, though."

"Good, good." Gaius rubbed the back of his neck. "I really hope this doesn't end up biting me in the ass. Laurent, they'll think it's perfectly normal if you're the last person out of her room. Stick around until then, okay?"

* * *

It was very late at night. Severa sat on the couch with Inigo and the cats. The next day was a national holiday, and she didn't have work. As they sat in the dark, the light of the T.V being the only thing illuminating the room, the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who it could be this late." Severa opened the door to see Lucina and Officer Grant, who she met a few days ago. "Oh, hey, Lucy."

"Good evening, Severa. Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Her eyes were on Grant. "Couldn't this wait until tomorrow?"

"The sooner it gets done the better. Anyway, did you know anything about a scheme to rob Confection Carnival?"

Inigo looked over the couch, waiting for her answer. After a short moment of silence he said, "So?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I ran into Cynthia at the store. When she saw me she panicked and fell flat on her face. I asked her what happened, and she said _something_ about you, Gaius and Laurent. She was crying, so I couldn't tell."

"Well…"

"There's no need to worry." Said Grant. "Nothing was taken, so as long as anyone who knew about it doesn't say anything, no one will have to be punished. Besides, we're talking about candy that's like, ten gold a piece."

"Forty-five." Corrected Lucina.

"My apologies, forty-five." He looked at her in disbelief. "S-seriously, forty-five gold? For a single piece?"

"Yup."

Grant cleared his throat. "Now I understand why someone would want to rob the place. Anyway, what's the story?"

"Gaius just wanted the candy. Being cheap and all. No one's getting in trouble?"

Lucina shook her head. "Like Grant said, nothing was taken. We should be able to pull some strings. Thanks for the information, Severa. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Severa closed the door and returned to the couch.

"Really? A bunch of candy?"

Severa shrugged. "Gaius can be pretty weird sometimes. Hand me the remote."


End file.
